Larry Shenk, Vice President of Alumni Relations, shares his notes, quotes and anecdotes from the world of baseball.

Heading North

Empty. That’s what the Phillies clubhouse at Bright House Field looks like today.

The team left this morning via buses for an afternoon game in Lakeland against the Tigers, their last Florida game for the spring. At 2 this afternoon, another bus departed Clearwater for Lakeland. This one accommodated family and club personnel. The Phillies will take a charter flight out of Lakewood after the game and head north for home.

On-Deck Series games against the Blue Jays are on the schedule for the next two days. Then, the first game in Lehigh Valley’s Coca-Cola Park on Sunday afternoon wraps up the pre-season schedule. All three games can be heard on this website; TV for Saturday afternoon (Comcast SportsNet) and Sunday afternoon (CW Philly 57).

Back to the empty clubhouse. Well, it is almost empty. Pitchers Kris Benson, Brad Lidge, Scott Mathieson, Francisco Rosario and Mike Zagurski still have their uniforms hanging there. All are on the disabled list and all will be rehabbing under the medical staff in Clearwater. More on that another day.

ElsewhereI’ve been out of pocket for a few days and haven’t posted a Phillies Insider since last Friday. As I slide into a new role over the next couple of weeks the goal is to continue this blog. Perhaps it won’t be on a daily basis but it will continue. There may be a pinch-hitter or two for Phillies Insider along the baseball journey that is also called a season. The organization wants to keep fans informed from the inside.

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